VIZIANAGARAM: Edubilli Suryanarayana, who contracted polio in childhood, has emerged as a national champion in wheelchair bodybuilding despite poverty and disability. His journey from losing mobility in both legs to winning at least 70 medals, including the prestigious Mr India title, reflects sheer determination and ambition.
Born on March 9, 1991, in Pola Vangara village of Vizianagaram district to agricultural labourers Appalaswamy and Pollamma, Suryanarayana was healthy at birth but paralysed by polio within months.
Refusing to let sympathy define his destiny, he pursued studies and earned a bachelor’s degree despite financial hardship. In 2016, he turned to competitive sports and chose wheelchair bodybuilding.
After a local gym instructor refused to train him, he began exercising at home with basic equipment before joining a gym to systematically condition himself.
Aware of the financial demands of competition travel, nutrition and training, he joined a private company as a marketing executive, earning Rs 15,000 a month to fund his bodybuilding career.
His wife Hema, a daily‑wage labourer, and his parents provided crucial support while caring for his two children.
Suryanarayana won the All‑India Wheelchair Bodybuilding Championship in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021 on his first attempt. Since then, he has collected medals across the country — 20 in Chennai, 15 in Hyderabad, three each in Delhi, Mumbai and Rajasthan, and two each in Punjab, Kolkata, Bihar and Bhubaneswar.
Suryanarayana also secured first place at a national contest in Bengaluru and won the Olympiad Pro Card at the South India Championship in 2023. His medal tally includes several golds at state‑level competitions in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Now preparing for the Mr Olympia (Wheelchair) title, he hopes to represent India internationally. Speaking to TNIE, Suryanarayana said, “I lost mobility in both legs after being afflicted with polio in my childhood. My parents managed to provide me with protein‑rich food despite poverty. I like Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan for their bodybuilding. Therefore, I chose bodybuilding as my career and started training at home in 2016.”
“Bodybuilding is an expensive sport and requires more nutritious food than other sports. I have been participating in competitions with the help of my earnings and support from my parents and wife. I do not have sponsors or government support. Representing India and becoming Mr Olympia is my ultimate dream. The gym taught me that limitations exist only in our minds. Hard work always bridges the gap to victory.”
